When In Italy
by guitarNrd362
Summary: Courtney misses her flight to Venice, planning to propose to her boyfriend. While waiting for the next plane, she meets a certain ex-con who tags along with her, & their plane crash-lands in far Ca' Savio with nothing. What could happen? DxC of course!
1. It's Just the Beginning

**Here it is! I'm already working on Chapter 3 heheh, so I'll try to update soon. ENJOY! :D**

**xX0Xx**

"Sir, _please! _ Stop that plane; I'm begging you! You have to let me on!" Courtney pleaded, clasping her hands together and giving the tough, military-looking security guard puppy dog eyes. He was blocking the gate entrance with his body.

"Miss, there is nothing we can do," he replied gently in a deep, thick foreign accent. "The plane has already taken flight. You may catch the last plane of the night in the next 2 hours or so. Otherwise, Italy must wait until morning. Good night."

Courtney let her mouth hang open as she watched the guard tap a code on the gate doors and slowly walk away. "Shit," she angrily muttered under her breath. With a sigh, she straightened the hem of the white, knee-length sundress she was wearing, picked up the olive green suitcase that lay at her feet, and spun on her heel to walk away as well.

The seats outside most of the gates were completely vacant, and almost every eating-place was closed, considering it being 11:46pm on a Saturday night, early spring. Courtney wandered the cold, empty halls of the airport, scowling at how much she felt like a lost, homeless person with every second that passed. She was completely exhausted, but she knew that if she slept, she'd probably miss her flight once again.

What the hell was she supposed to do for another 2 hours? If only her stupid cab driver didn't get into a car crash on the way there, she could be sipping some exotic fruit juice in a first class seat. Yes, being one of New York's successful lawyers had its perks.

After walking along the wall for a while, a bright neon light around the corner caught her eye.

Courtney came across a dim café, a "Simple At Best" sign flickering above a couple of wooden tables. The walls were painted with dark orange and tan stripes, mostly covered with framed vintage photographs of bicycles and Paris. She could feel the warmth radiating from the small place, seemingly welcoming. All the black, metal chairs were upside down on top of the tables, saying that the café was closed, but the man wearing a dark blue apron behind the counter carving something into the cash register with a pocketknife noted otherwise.

With a roll of her eyes, she violently yanked a chair off a corner table and slammed it onto the ground, startling the employee to jump by the sharp sound of the chair connecting to the floor.

"Whoa, sweetheart," he said smoothly, finally noticing her. "Calm down. It's pretty late, and some people here actually want to have a peaceful, boring Saturday night."

Courtney looked up to see a pair of icy teal eyes giving a questioning look back at her onyx ones. She glared at the man, who seemed to be her age despite the childish green Mohawk and piercings that scatted his face.

"Well listen here, _sweetheart. _Sorry if I'm too much of a bother," she spat sarcastically. "But I'm stuck here for the next 2 freakin' hours because my stupid plane flew off without me."

Much to her dislike, the guy undid the strings of his apron and tossed it to the side, walking towards her table. "Looks like you're gonna be ranting for a while," he said, flashing an amused smirk as he grabbed a chair and sat across from her.

Courtney gave him a suspicious look. "What are you doing?"

He shifted in his seat comfortably and propped his head on his hand with his elbow on the table, shrugging. "Getting ready to listen."

"Why?" Courtney asked incredulously, narrowing her eyes. "I thought you were busy uh… drawing." She glanced at the poor cash register, which was all scratched up and had a skull engraved on the side, much like the large one on his black shirt.

"Nah, working on the latest night shift is pretty boring anyway… so yeah."

She took a good look around the café, seeing the surrounding untouched chairs still up on the empty tables. "Night shift? I thought this place was closed already."

He simply shrugged his shoulders. "I just put the chairs up so people _think _that. It looks like it worked for a while." He leaned in closer, and Courtney failed resisting to get lost in his hypnotizing eyes. "…But that didn't keep _you _away, did it?"

Courtney instantly snapped out of the brief trance, her face twisting in disgust. Was he actually trying to flirt with her? At a time like _this?_

The guy leaned back in his chair with that aggravating smirk plastered on his face. "You have a name, Princess?" He asked, crossing his arms behind his head and slinging his feet onto the table.

_Nicknames? _She thought, scowling. _Is this guy for real? _"Okay, one: it's definitely **not** Princess! And two: it's Courtney. Courtney _Weston?_" She replied confidently. Maybe now he'll give her some respect once he realizes who she is.

He merely blinked at her, giving her a blank stare. "Yeah… and…?"

Courtney felt her blood boil underneath her naturally tanned skin. "What? What do you mean 'and…'? I'm _the _Courtney Weston!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air in frustration.

He shook his head. "Yep, still not ringing any bells."

"I'm one of the best lawyers in the city! How can you not recognize me?"

"Well, it's either the fact that I'm not one to care about politics, or that I just don't give a crap at all."

Courtney scoffed at his ignorance. "Well, what's _your _name? I bet a person like you would be recognized anyway… by the _cops!_"

He chuckled lightly, obviously amused by her outrages. Courtney could feel her ears getting red. _For an ogre like him, he does have a nice laugh… whoa. Did I just think that? What the hell?_

"FYI, Princess, I'm Duncan. And yeah, you're probably right."

She froze in her seat. "You mean you're a… criminal?"

"_Ex-_criminal." He pointed out. "I did my time, so I'm just here for community service. And trust me doll face, this was the most decent choice the judge offered. It was either this, or scrubbing nasty urinals in the guys' bathroom at Planet Fitness."

"Oh, gross!" Courtney couldn't fight back the shudder that crawled up her spine. Here she was, having some sort of conversations with a somewhat hot ex-con. Wait… somewhat hot? Ugh, whatever; she may be tired, but she can handle whatever came her way, as always.

"So, what flight did you miss?" Duncan asked, his eyes swimming in questions.

"Venice, Italy. First class." Courtney replied proudly. She smiled as she pictured herself happily sitting in a nice, clean leather seat with her laptop beside her, enjoying a rerun of CSI on the little TV screen in front of her. She grimaced as the image faded away, remembering that she had to wait another 2 hours for that kind of treatment.

"Wow, really," Duncan's eyes wandered around the café, obviously not finding anything special with her planned destination. "What's happening there? Business trip or something?"

"Well…" She hesitated. It wouldn't hurt to share a big part of her life with some guy she just met, right? It's not like she'd like to keep contact with someone like _Duncan, _anyway. "I was just going there to give my _boyfriend_ a surprise visit, that's all."

She noticed how his face fell at the sound of "boyfriend", and watched a streak of jealousy cross his face. Bit it went away almost instantly when another smirk took its place. "Wow, who's the poor guy?"

Courtney sent him a heated glare. "_Justin's _a model, just so you know. He's there to sponsor a few Italian clothing lines. Not only is he drop dead gorgeous, but he's the sweetest, kindest, most loyal-"

"Alright, alright, I get it. Just stop with the gushy-mushy stuff! It's starting to give me a headache," Duncan protested, getting up and walking over to the counter. "Want a coffee? It's on me."

"Decaf, please and thank you!" Courtney told him. As he nodded and turned to a coffee machine, she kept her thoughts on her one and only Justin. She still couldn't believe how lucky she was just to know him, considering how he chose her over the most popular girl (and whore) in college, Heather Kim.

A few seconds of silence slowly passed through the halls and the café, despite the whirring inside the machine behind the counter. She pulled out the black box from the pocket of the shorts underneath her dress, opening it and gazing at the shining diamond stone…

"Whoa! What that hell is _that?_" Duncan asked, interrupting her dream-like state. She looked up to find him staring seriously at the beaming stone she held in her hand.

Courtney sighed in defeat. She hadn't told anyone that she had bought a ring, not to mention about what she was planning to do with it. She had to tell someone eventually, so why not now…? "I…I'm going to Italy to propose."

She felt the blush creep onto her cheeks, hearing nothing but the sound of red chucks stepping towards her. A pair of hands placed below a chin a beige cup with dark, creamy-looking coffee filling it to the brim. She let the warm steam reach her face and relax her.

Duncan pulled out a chair next to her instead of a cross, holding a similar cup and taking a gulp. "You're not kidding, right? Don't chicks do that on a leap year or something?"

Courtney scoffed, taking her gaze from the gem to fix her eyes on him. "That's, like, an ancient myth! And not to mention downright sexist!" She angrily gulped down her coffee quickly, ignoring the burning sensation that followed in her throat afterwards. "Screw leap year! It's the 21st century for God's sake! Us _chicks_ don't need to wait around for men to propose. So wake up and…"

She took one last sip of her drink and waved the cup in his face, smiling. "Smell the coffee."

Duncan chuckled, gently pushing the cup away from his face to take a drink of his own coffee. "So… I guess you really like Mr. Mannequin, huh Princess?"

Courtney sheepishly brushed a lock of her silky, brown hair from her face. "Hell… I-I think I'm in love with him…" She stuffed the black velvety box back into her pocket and tried to cover her goofy grin with her hands.

Another silence awkwardly passed as Duncan tossed the cup onto the floor, burping loudly in the process and breaking the brief tension in the room. There went his chance at getting her phone number. "Wow," he muttered, not knowing the right words to say. "That's…deep, I guess."

"W-Well…" Courtney stuttered, mentally kicking at herself for sounding so weak. She groggily rubbed her tired eyes with the backs of her hands. "I said something about my life. It's only fair if you spill some of yours!"

"Alright, you got me," He held his hands up as if surrendering to the police. "Long story short, my parents disowned me for, well, being me. I did some things, got me a good few months of jail, and here I am, doing community service." He spread his arms proudly, gesturing the near-empty café.

Courtney wrinkled her nose, not seeing the kind of "community service" he was doing exactly.

"And not only am I getting some hours done, I get to make the most of my Saturday nights talking to hot girls like _you._" He leaned close to her…

She could feel his hot breath against her ear. The blush returned onto her cheeks, making her freckles stand out. She opened her mouth to protest when-

"_Flight 5683 to Venice, Italy. Flight 5683 to Venice Italy, ready to board_," a young woman's voice echoed from the speakers and through the halls.

Courtney gasped sharply and whipped around to get her suitcase near her chair. Her hair swiftly hit Duncan's face and he shot up in surprise. The young lawyer stumbled out of her seat and tossed her cup into the garbage.

"Thanks for everything, Duncan," She smiled at him before hastily running out of the café and into the hall, racing around the corner and towards her gate. Suddenly, she felt a strong arm quickly snake around her waist, causing her to stop abruptly.

"Hey, hold on, Princess," Duncan half-whispered in her ear from behind her.

Courtney felt herself slip into panicking mode. "Duncan, when I come back, I'll make sure I pay you for the coffee, okay? I just have to-"

"No, it's not that," Duncan cut her off, yanking out what looked like a cell phone out of his cargo shorts and dialed a few numbers. He put it to his ear and looked down at her. "Just wait a few seconds, alright?"

Courtney fidgeted in his tight grip, blushing as she looked down at his arm, which was still secured comfortably around her waist. _He's pretty warm… _She thought, slowly making his hold an excuse to lean closer to his chest…

_Courtney! NO! _ She heard an inner voice scream at her. _What do you think you're doing? You have a boyfriend in Italy waiting for you, remember? Now, GO!_

She gasped, imagining Justin's innocent, handsome face loyally smiling at her. Not even hearing Duncan talking loudly into his phone to a Mr. Wenner, Courtney struggled even harder in his grip, which only caused him to hold her tighter.

"Yes…yes, thank you! Thank you, sir! I swear, I'm not gonna do anything wrong. Yes, thank you… 5683… yep, call Molly… I'll board the plane now…"

"_Flight 5683 to Venice, Italy. The plane will be finished boarding and ready to take flight in 1 minute." _The voice echoed.

Upon hearing that, Courtney clutched her suitcase handle tighter and felt over the bump in her pocket, which was where the ring's box was. _Justin's waiting for you, Court._

She darted to the gate, feeling that Duncan had loosened his grip as he shut his cell phone closed. "Whoa, wait!" He called after her, but Courtney's feet couldn't stop. She couldn't afford getting _another _ticket. She already had to pay for the second one since the 1st flight was gone, not to mention the expensive price of the engagement ring.

As soon as Courtney reached the gate, she threw her ticket at the young blonde security girl who was chatting away on the phone and standing near the now open gate doors. The flight to her love was just through those doors and into that plane.

After thanking the young lady politely, Courtney began walking gracefully onto the plane when a calloused hand wrapped around her waist once again and fell on the top of her stomach, stopping her dead in her tracks. She whipped around to glare up at a too-familiar pair of teal eyes looking down at her. "Hey, Princess, I told you to wait!"

"Uh, excuse me sir," the blonde security girl called from behind him. "Where's your ticket?"

"Oh, I'm the new flight attendant Mr. Wenner called you about, Molly." He replied, shrugging.

Courtney's mouth fell open, feeling pretty shocked and more than a little confused. _What the hell is going on?_

Before she could even ask, Molly simply smiled and nodded at the two of them. Duncan put his hands on Courtney's thin shoulders.

He smirked mischievously as he began to push her lightly onto the plane.

"Looks like I got a trip to Italy, huh?"

**xX0Xx**

**A/N: And so the story starts off! So, how'd you like it? Please review! I'm debating whether to continue it or not. Anyone who finds out what 5683 translates to gets a cookie, or some sort of pastry x3. REVIEW!  
~Raf **


	2. Will It End Too Soon?

**xX0Xx**

"So you're a…flight attendant?"

Duncan sat down next to a confused (and unimpressed) Courtney in the beige leather seat beside her, grinning his signature smirk. "Yeah, well, _now _I am. I had to pull a few strings and drop my job back at the café, but I'm still doing something as community service!"

He watched Courtney's suspicious eyes observe the light blue uniform he was given, just like the other assistants on the first class section of the plane. He cocked an eyebrow, instantly thinking that she was checking him out.

"If community service means bothering me and cutting into my personal time, then you're doing a great job," Courtney replied sarcastically, ripping her eyes from him. "Shouldn't you be going around giving people snacks or something?"

Duncan poked her arm playfully. "Touchy, aren't we? I did all that crap already, and you're pretty much the only passenger on this plane. All the other attendants are taking a beer break, so I figured it's free period." He shrugged, still nudging her teasingly.

Courtney swatted his hand away and slumped more into her seat, avoiding his tealy-eyed stare.

"What's the matter, Princess?" Duncan leaned closer to her, much to her discomfort. "Afraid to look at me? Trying to resist my good looks?"

"No!" Courtney seethed, finally looking into his eyes to shoot him a glare. "I-It's just… I was just wondering… did you really become a flight attendant for community service? Or because I'm on this plane?"

Duncan rolled his eyes. "No, no, being a flight attendant and giving people cheap food was my lifelong dream," He said, sarcasm filling his tone. "I've got nothing to lose, sweetheart, but I definitely don't wanna spend the rest of my life at that crappy café."

Courtney's doubtful expression didn't drop as she watched him carefully, thinking he'll suddenly pounce on her any second without warning. She felt her muscles tense up sharply when he simply slung an arm around her shoulders. Duncan sat at the edge of his seat, leaning even closer until their faces were just inches apart.

"And… for that second reason too." He winked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

She scrunched up her nose in disgust and swiftly shrugged off his arm. "Isn't there _someone_ in New York that'll care about you being gone on planes 24/7?"

"Nah, my 'dear, dear' parole officer knows I'm here already. That's Mr. Wenner. And my girlfriend's probably gonna get pissed, but I don't care."

Courtney lifted a thin eyebrow and gave the ex-criminal a perplexed expression. "…Girlfriend?"

Duncan smirk grew wider at the sound of that. "Yeah. Gwen." He said, crossing his arms smugly. "Jealous, Princess?"

"Hell no!" She exclaimed defensively, blushing a bit. "I just didn't think you'd be _capable_ enough to obtain a girlfriend, that's all."

"Yeah, well, I wouldn't even call her a girlfriend," Duncan stated, crossing his arms over his chest. "She was like a sister to me, but when we got together, she's been so freakin' clingy lately it's not even funny. And besides, I don't need relationships to keep a guy like me happy."

Courtney scoffed at his arrogance. "Okay, so you seriously think that _you're_ too good for _love?_"

Duncan simply shrugged and held his hands up in defense. "Hey, I've been doing fine without it, and here I am, uncommitted and playing the field."

"You said so yourself that you've got nothing to lose," Courtney jabbed a finger at his chest accusingly, getting frustrated by every syllable. "Well, what are you planning to do after you're all done with community service? Do something stupid and land yourself if jail _again_? Don't you _want_ something to lose?"

Duncan stared at her blankly. "Well I dunno. Maybe I do. Maybe I want some things, but not to just lose them." He stated, suddenly serious.

She smiled genuinely at him. "I know that, Duncan. I meant, don't you want to care about someone and they care about you? Not like obsessively, like your, erm, 'girlfriend'." She used air quotes, earning a small laugh from him.

"Yeah," Duncan replied, his same smirk finding its way back onto his lips. "I'll think about it."

Before Courtney could roll her eyes, she saw with her peripheral vision the glints of stars and puffy white clouds outside the window near her suddenly disappeared, pure darkness replacing it. The plane began to shake violently, her stomach doing a hundred flips per second. Lights flickered above their heads, particularly the flashing seatbelt sign. She immediately wrapped her arms around Duncan's instead, biting her lip nervously.

"What's wrong, sweetcheeks?" He grinned from ear to ear, surprisingly calm in all the brief chaos. "Scared of a little turbulence?"

They felt the plane swerve abruptly, soon seeing a food cart blur past their seats in the blink of an eye and crash into the wall in front of them. Water bottles, trash, coffee cups, and animal crackers flew everywhere.

Courtney yelped. "N-No!" She managed to reply to Duncan's smug questions, still shaking with fear she'd never admit. "I-I just don't exactly love planes, okay?"

Suddenly, they saw a beverage cart shoot down the aisle and smash into the wrecked food cart against the wall. As they tried to dodge the empty metal soda and beer cans spewing from it, the dark windows flashed with lightning. Duncan and Courtney held their breath anxiously as a rumble of thunder shook the plane, causing even more lights to flicker, only to short out in a matter of seconds. Soon, the rest followed, and the first class section was engulfed in darkness.

Duncan felt his night vision kick in. Once the plane seemed balanced enough, he grabbed the straps of his seatbelt and clicked it around his waist with his free hand. The thunder had subsided, and Courtney's fast breathing was the only thing he could hear. His eyes widened in realization. _Courtney!_

He found her still clutching tightly to his arm, leaning over the arm rest of her seat to bury her face in his chest. He couldn't help but smirk. _She so wants me._

Courtney mumbled indistinctive words against the shirt of his uniform repeatedly. "What?" Duncan asked, still looking down at her and smiling proudly. He was beginning to feel the circulation of his arm cut off at her death grip.

"We're gonna die, we're gonna die, we're gonna die!" Courtney screamed, feeling her stomach instantly drop as the plane took a sudden spin, which sent her out of her seat and onto Duncan's lap. She lost the strength to follow the urge of shoving him away and sitting back down in her own seat. She released his arm and wrapped her arms around his neck, attaching herself to him as closely and safely as possible.

Duncan wrapped his arms around her thin waist securely, opening his mouth to tease her about their current position, but the sound of glass shattering and a strong gust of wind almost sent him flying stopped him. Thunder rattled the plane violently, now sounding closer, and much dangerous.

The muffled sound of static took over the loud speaker on the wall over the crushed carts.

"Passengers, this is your pilot speaking," a gruff male voice shouted, echoing over the deafening endless rumbling of thunder. "I deeply apologize for the last few minutes of disturbance, but please try to stay calm. The nasty weather h-has busted one of the engines. Don't panic; I-I'll try to land us to the nearest airport. Just… hang on for a while, we're almost the-" Static cut off the pilot, and the loud speaker let out a few neon orange sparks before falling into silence.

"Hear that, Princess?" Duncan asked, feeling pretty relieved on the inside. "We're not gonna die!"

_We're going to live… _Courtney thought, tiredly smiling to herself. _…We better live, damn it…_She felt her eyelids drooping and her head beginning to rest itself at the crook of Duncan's neck.

"Princess?" Duncan called down to the girl in his arms, concern growing in his voice. "I said, we're not gonna die! Courtney…?

A flash of lightning crackled near the two, frighteningly close to their side of the plane. Raindrops began to lash through the busted window, hitting them sharply and feeling like mini-knives against bare skin.

_We're not gonna die… _The thought lingered in Courtney's mind before slipping into a deep sleep in Duncan's arms…

**xX0Xx**

**A/N: Will they make it? Or die in each other's arms? Some sort of cliffie! So, thoughts? Opinions? Epiphanies? What's up?  
****I'm back from Florida :D I miss my family down there though :/ and I feel like I'm not really here o.O must be the jet lag heheh. Anyways, review! ~Raf**


	3. Not My Day

**xX0Xx**

"_Courtney? Court, dear, wake up!"_

_She heard a melodic male's voice call her name close by. It sounded oddly familiar, and the sound of it saying her name made relief almost instantly wash over her._

_Her eyes fluttered open and was met by a warm, comforting breeze. A man her age gazed down at her with calm baby-blue eyes through his shaggy, dark brown hair. Brawn arms covered in perfectly tanned complexion cradled her gently._

_Courtney smiled at him. "Hey, Justin."_

_Said model laughed lightly and looked into her eyes with a sweet expression on his face. "It's okay, hon. _You're _okay. Everything'll be perfectly fine now."_

"_Well, now that you're here, it is," Courtney sighed, nuzzling the side of her face against his chest. She tried to breathe in his scent of mint and soap, but couldn't smell a thing._

_His genuine grin suddenly grew into an unusual smirk. Courtney grimaced. Why does that look so familiar…?_

"_I'll be with you soon, sweetheart," Justin stated, not even sounding like himself anymore. His voice strangely turned deeper with every syllable._

_Courtney began to panic and immediately grasped the front of his black tuxedo, as if he were to slip away in a millisecond. "Wait, what? What do you mean? Justin, I-I love-!"_

"_Save it for now," he cut her off harshly as his well-built face began to slowly disappear, though she still felt his strong arms around her. "Just wake up, Princess."_

_Princess? She wondered as everything began to fade into white. There's only one person I know who calls me that…_

_

* * *

_

Courtney struggled to lift her heavy eyelids open and strained her vision against bright blurry dots. In a matter of seconds, everything began to piece together, forming a bright green Mohawk and an oddly familiar smirk.

"Morning, sunshine," a smug Duncan teased, cocking an eyebrow down at the confused girl in his arms and grinning from ear to ear.

The blood rushed up to her face as she immediately realized that she was still sitting in his lap, her face buried in his broad chest. "Crap!" Courtney yelped, jumping back into her own seat. She winced at a sudden pain that stung her leg. Lifting the hem of her white dress, she looked down to see a few white bandages wrapped around her upper thigh near the hem of her underwear.

"W-What…?" Courtney gently pulled a strand of gauze to see whatever wound she got, only to cringe once more at the jolt of pain that hit her. There were shards of glass scattered everywhere, and a huge dent in the wall in front. Duncan even had a few faded red lines on his face and a band-aid just above his eyebrow.

The ex-delinquent chuckled as he brushed off a few pieces of glass from the front of his uniform. "When we landed and some lights came back on, there was this nasty gash on your leg, so the pilot gave me some first aid stuff." He shrugged carelessly, still smirking. "It wasn't too bad, and nothing a few band-aids couldn't fix."

Loud footsteps approached the two as a short man in a ruffled white-collared shirt with a black tie walked toward them. He looked to be about 60, and had a pair of headphones hanging around his neck. "Y-You must be Miss Courtney," he stuttered gruffly, yet with a father-like smile plastered on his face. "If it wasn't for your b-boyfriend here, we could've lost you. I-I mean, not to scare you or anything, but it was bleeding pretty bad-like. I guess he f-fixed it up pretty well, considering you're a-alive and breathing now." He chuckled and put a reassuring hand on a proud Duncan's shoulder.

Duncan haughtily at the sound of it, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back in his seat. "Well, I try, Frank. Princess here seems pretty thankful anyway."

But that was the exact opposite of what she was feeling at the moment. Courtney could feel the blood beneath her tan skin boil as her face changed from confused to mortified. "_You…" _She growled at the smirking ex-con, who seemed to be calmly amused at her enraged state. It didn't take long until she jabbed an accusing finger harshly at his chest and burst. "You _went up _my _**DRESS?**_"

Frank began to back away slowly in fear as Duncan merely laughed. "I didn't touch you or _feel you up_, I swear! I just saved your life, that's all. Or would you've rather bled to death?"

Courtney pursed her lips tightly and huffed angrily, while Duncan's smirk widened in victory. She fought the pounding urge to punch him in the balls and irritably turned away from him, muttering something about perverted pigs.

"What was that?" Duncan asked innocently, cocking an eyebrow at the obviously aggravated lawyer.

She sharply twisted in her seat and leaned in until their faces were only inches apart. She didn't even care much about the painful pressure she was putting onto her leg as she did. "_You perverted, irritable, womanizing, rebellious, outspoken, flirtatious, sexy, PIG!" _Courtney screamed, narrowing her eyes into tiny slits at him.

"Whoa now, kids," Frank stepped in and put a calming hand on each other their shoulders. "M-My plane's already messed up from the storm; there's n-no need to make more damage and get b-blood stains all over it."

Courtney took a deep breath and smiled sheepishly at the old pilot. "Sorry. Where are we, though?"

"Ca' Savio," Duncan responded, "meaning two towns away from Venice." Suddenly, a goofy grin made its way to his lips. "And… did you just call me sexy?"

Without another word, Courtney shot up from her seat and stomped over to the panel on the opposite wall. She yanked it open, expecting the handle of her olive green suitcase ready to grab and make a run for it, but gasped when all she saw was an open field of lush emerald grass and the bluest sky she'd ever seen.

"Where the _hell_ is my bag?" She shrieked frantically, reaching her hand through the hole and making sure the beautiful scenery wasn't just wallpaper. "It has everything! My phone, my clothes, my wallet, my laptop! …Oh, God! My _laptop!_"

"O-Oh, yeah," Frank stammered, scratching the back of his neck nervously. "Like I said, my plane's pretty messed up from that storm; it basically r-ripped off parts of the plane, like the engines and a wing… and the bag storage. I'm real sorry, M-Miss Courtney." He pulled what looked like Euros from his pocket and started to count them. "Uno, due, tre…"

Courtney gawked at the pilot, then at Duncan, who was climbing through the hole where her things used to be and jumped out the wrecked plane. He smelled the air and sighed. "Still smells the same. Are ya coming, Princess?" He asked, shoving his hands in his pockets as he smirked cockily at the shocked woman.

She snapped out of it to shoot him a heated glare and pointed to her limp leg. "Uh, _hello?_ Remember this minor injury? And where would we go anyway? I'm staying on this plane until we get help! And from where I'm standing, it'd be a, what, _6 feet_ ju- AH!"

Before she could finish ranting, Duncan stepped forward, wrapped his arms around her thin waist, and hoisted her over his shoulder without even trying.

"Put. Me. _Down!_" Courtney demanded, covering her eyes with one hand from the blinding sun setting in the grassy hills and pounding on Duncan's back with the other.

"Wait a sec," He said loudly over her protests. He placed his "Let me just get on some flat ground so you don't end up rolling down a bunch of hills once I put you down, alright?"

Courtney rolled her eyes and looked down at the grass below Duncan's feet. "It looks pretty flat to me. Just put me down, Duncan! I'm not _that _hurt."

"Fine. If you say so, sweetheart," Duncan sighed melo-dramatically. At that very moment, he had stopped at the top of a rather steep hill, not too far away from the plane where a very confused Frank stood watching them. Duncan put his hands on her hips and gently placed her back on her feet, and right on the edge of the grassy mound.

"Thank God," Courtney muttered, brushing off the "Duncan dirt" off her dress. "Now if you excuse me, I'm going back to the plane until I can get to a pho-!"

The heels of her stilettos clicked and stumbled underneath her while she felt herself slowly tip back a little too far for her comfortable stability. Her arms flailed frantically at her sides as she tried to balance herself, but fell right on her butt. Gravity became a bitch when it began to pull her down the hill, and the gauze-covered gash on her leg was aching like hell.

Once Courtney finally stopped halfway down with a long string of profanities following, Duncan was in hysterics. "I told you, didn't I?" He managed to breathe before exploding in another fit of laughter.

"Oh, _shut up!_" Courtney shouted at him, clutching her bandaged thigh in pain she'd never admit. "You shoved me down a hill, you jerk! Now get down here and help me up before I sue you for sexual harassment… and stalking!"

Duncan rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. He should've expected that from a lawyer. "Alright, alright, I'm coming." He carefully stepped down what now seemed like a grassy _cliff _and made his way cautiously toward Courtney. But as he leaned forward to offer his hand for support, he found himself being yanked into a somersault & crashed on his back. Before Duncan started to roll down to the bottom of the hill, he tried to stop himself by grabbing the nearest thing, which happened to be Courtney's waist.

Courtney blushed furiously as Duncan happened to land on top of her once they reached the bottom, legs intertwined and his arms on either side of her head.

He shook off the dizziness from his head and grinned at her goofily. "Why, hello…"

"I-I…" Courtney stammered hastily, since the teal eyes staring right into her onyx ones seemed to steal the right words from her mouth.

"_I'll be with you soon, sweetheart." _A flash of Justin's sincere smile ran through her mind as she remembered her sweet, innocent soon-to-be fiancé, waiting for her. The thought of him and his arms around her, being this close as she was at the moment with Duncan… _No, _she thought, narrowing her eyes at the ex-con smirking over her. _I can't betray Justin like this. He'd never do this to me. …Right?_

Determination flooded her mind as Courtney's knee shot up and rammed into Duncan's crotch, making a strange _crack _noise when doing so.

"AUGH!" Duncan cried out in pain, rolling off of her and into the lush foliage.

Courtney shot up and began running back to the plane, ignoring the immediate distress that came to her once she saw the grass stains on her white dress. "Thanks for everything, Duncan! Goodbye and good riddance!"

The plane was about a quarter-mile away from where the steep hill was, and it surprised Courtney how Duncan had carried her that far so quickly. Shrugging it off, she found Frank with an amused look on his face, still chuckling at the distant Duncan, who was still gripping his crotch like no tomorrow.

"See you, Frank!" Courtney called to the old man, waving at him sincerely. "Thanks for landing us here safely! Do you know where the nearest motel is?"

"Yes, ma'am! H-Hotel Cá di Valle is right over those 2 hills there." Frank happily waved back in his gravelly voice, smiling like a proud father. "Good luck, M-Miss Courtney!"

As the pilot began to call for to the pained former-convict to hurry & come back to the plane, Courtney sprinted (well, speed-limped) towards the climbable mounds of grass Frank had pointed out without looking back. She got there in no time, and gazed down at a welcoming-looking village, with buildings and homes with dark red roofs scattered all around. A seemingly stable wooden bridge connected the lush green land and the small town over a small river. There was even a market place filled with people and friendly chatter, kids running around and getting along with each other.

Courtney would usually scowl at the disorganization and how the structures seemed to be built with no particular order or pattern, but she felt a warm vibe coming from it. While she crossed the bridge with ease and noticed a tall beige building that had "Cá di Valle" painted in neat cursive below the roof, she sighed in relief. She'll get to a phone there, and maybe even a good rest before heading off to propose to Justin. And just like her soon-to-be fiancé had said in her dream, everything will be fine.

* * *

"Vorrei che essere una stanza per due o una sola?"

Courtney bit her cheek harshly to stop herself from exploding at the concierge in front of her, who was waiting patiently for another reply. With every English response she gave the dark-haired Italian woman, she would only give her a confused look and repeat her question. They have been at this for only God knows how long, and Courtney should've known this would happen, considering she was in Italy. She knew nothing of Italian; her parents and teachers always taught her Spanish and French.

A line started to accumulate behind her, families and couples staring at her strangely. Courtney did a face-palm and pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. She had to get this woman to understand her somehow, before the entire building went down in flames.

"Okay," she sighed, lifting her hands to play charades. "Me, uh, plane crash. Me needs a room!" Courtney jabbed a finger to herself with every "Me" and flapped her arms hopelessly to represent a plane.

The concierge, who looked to be the same age as her, raised an eyebrow at her weird actions. After a few seconds of silence, she asked once again for the umpteenth time, "Vorrei che essere una stanza per due o una sola?"

Courtney reached up and furiously yanked at her brown hair, screaming in utter annoyance. _This is NOT my day. _"Does anyone here know _English?"_ She spun around to shriek at the terrified Italians behind her.

"I just want to get a room for one! That's all I freakin' ask! I've been through a _lot _today, and I just want to get a good night's rest. Is that so _hard?_" Courtney yelled, hearing her shrill voice echo throughout the building as it fell into silence. All eyes were on her.

"Scusa me, man," A deep voice grumbled from behind her. She looked over her shoulder, seeing a man in a grey coat and straw hat facing the concierge. "Questo diritto babe caldo qui vuole una camera per una."

"È così?" The woman replied, looking at Courtney fearfully.

"Si," the man responded and turned to the confused mocha-colored woman, revealing a too-familiar cocky smirk.

"_Duncan?_ W-What the hell…?" Courtney's eyes widened, not knowing whether to be thankful to see him, or angry for following her. _Whatever did I do to deserve this?_ She asked exasperatedly up to the sky gods. "You speak Italian?"

"Yeah, well, Italy's my mom's hometown. My nonna lives here so I visit her a bunch of times." He replied, shrugging carelessly. His smirk grew wide. "Happy to see me, Princess?"

"Ecstatic," Courtney replied, rolling her eyes. "Could you please just get me a room so I'll be on my way?"

Duncan grinned; amused by the fact that she needed his help. He turned back to the perplexed concierge. "La mia bella signora, posso ordinare una camera per _due_?"

The dark-haired woman fanned herself with one hand and smiled flirtatiously at Duncan. "B-Bene, siamo al completo per le camere per due… s-si può condividere il letto?"

Courtney wrinkled her nose at her, and how much she resembled a little school girl with a crush. She ignored the gut feeling in the pit of her stomach as she watched Duncan flirt right back.

He slung an arm around Courtney's shoulders, startling her a bit. "Naturalmente, la mia ragazza e mi piacerebbe che."

The concierge frowned at the two of them, which relieved Courtney for some reason, but ached in impatience. _What the hell is Duncan telling her?_

Said ex-con reached into the pocket of his coat and dumped a bunch of Euros and coins on the front desk. "Questo dovrebbe pagare per tutto. Grazie." _Why was he carrying Euros in his pocket in the first place? There is _nothing _I'll understand about this guy, _Courtney thought, shaking her head.

The woman tossed him the purple room key as she eagerly dumped the money into the cash register without another word. Duncan, with his arm still wrapped around Courtney's shoulders, started to walk them towards the elevator nearby, but the lawyer stayed in one place with arms crossed.

"Where do you think you're going?" Courtney asked, narrowing her eyes at him. "You're a 'flight attendant' now, if my memory serves right. Thanks for your help, Duncan, but I'll see you around back in New York, alright? Or maybe never, but yeah."

"Frank fired me," Duncan shrugged, dangling the key playfully in her face. "And I figured you could use some help around here, since you obviously know _nothing _Italian, heheh."

Courtney growled and snatched the keys from his hand. She silently walked through the doors of the elevator and glared at the floor as the elevator rose from the ground.

"Aw, c'mon Princess," Duncan said from behind her. He leaned against the rails that lined the elevator walls. "You gotta admit, if it wasn't for me, you would've been kicked out on the streets from that little tantrum you were throwing back there."

Courtney scoffed while the elevator doors slid open and stomped out & through the hall, looking for the room number. Her fingers fiddled the key as she tried to control bursting again. "Whatever," she spat.

"Not to mention that you totally owe me for it!" Duncan piped mischievously. "I'm gonna have to room with you since I gotta get some sleep, and since I've got nothing better to do, I'll help you get to Mr. Pretty Face in Venice. Deal?"

Courtney mulled it over. He _did _help her… and as much as she didn't want to believe it, his help _would _be useful. At least this way, she'd get to Justin sooner, right? She groaned. "Why couldn't you at least get your own room?"

"I only had enough money for one, alright? Do we have a deal or what?"

Her eyes spotted a tiny "Room 739" over a bright orange door. She stuck the key in the slot of the lock, but before turning it, she glowered at Duncan. "Deal. But _you _stay in your _own_ _bed_, got it?"

Duncan grinned at her darkly, irking her a bit. "Promise."

Courtney rolled her eyes at him before turning the key and unlocking the door.

Her mouth hung open at the room Duncan had gotten them. It was a basic room with white walls, a small TV, a bathroom, a closet, a medium-sized window complimented with purple-grey curtains. The only thing that shocked her was the single, big thing that sat in the middle of the room, a bed. One bed.

Duncan chuckled at the stunned expression on her face and jumped onto the dark blue sheets. He threw his coat and straw hat to the side and crossed his arms behind his head. Leaning against the pillows, he smirked. "Yeah, I think I'll be keeping my promise after all."

"_Duncan!" _She shrieked, much to his amusement. _Ugh, forgive me Justin. And pray for me too, while you're at it._

_

* * *

_

"Duncan… you're still awake?" He heard a sleepy voice say from the far side of the bed. Courtney yawned and shifted her position, obviously uncomfortable sleeping right on the edge of a lumpy mattress.

He laughed quietly at her discomfort. He was actually awake for a while now, since the Ca' Savio sun fell sooner than they thought. They had no extra clothes to sleep in, so they were stuck in the same attire they were wearing already. His thoughts drifted back to that afternoon when they crash landed, and after Courtney ran to the village…

"_You're not serious, Frank," Duncan stared at the old man's hand, which offered thin colored papers and coins. "I can't take this."_

"_Yes, you can," Frank replied, suddenly serious. "B-Boy, I remember that face of yours when you saw that gash on M-Miss Courtney's leg. You can't just let her l-leave like t-that. Go after her!"_

"_What about my job on the plane?" Duncan asked. "Wenner is gonna get pissed at this."_

"_Oh let me take care of that old piece of sh-shit," Frank grumbled nonchalantly, making the ex-delinquent laugh out loud. "You told me yourself that M-Miss Courtney is something else, didn't you? I've been in your shoes, kid. But I accidentally l-let her slip away. Don't let that happen, otherwise you'll be stuck like me, flying back and forth without no real home to g-go to."_

_Duncan sighed and pulled the light blue uniform shirt off, throwing back on his black skull shirt._

"_Take these too," Frank slid the Euros in his hand inside the pocket of a grey trench coat and shoved it to him, along with a straw hat. "It's still early February, and it could get mighty c-cold at night."_

"_God b-bless" was the last thing Duncan heard the old pilot call after him once he followed the direction Courtney had ran off to._

Duncan's eyes wandered to Courtney, whose back was facing to him. He watched her now-sleeping figure rise up and down in the rhythm of her steady breathing. The calm, Italy moon shone through the window and past the curtains, peacefully outlining the curves of her body.

He tore his eyes away from the serene scene beside him. _As much as I'd love to just pounce on her now, she's planning on proposing to someone else! The only thing you'd get out of wrapping your arms around her is a black eye, got it? _

The only sound in the room was her soft breathing, making him roll his eyes and sigh loudly in exasperation. _And why couldn't she be this peaceful when she was awake?_

"Duncan…"

Said man grinned to himself. "Dreaming about me, Princess?"

Suddenly, Courtney sat up swiftly and narrowed her onyx eyes at him, which seemed to sparkle underneath the moonlight from the window. She was, no doubt, fully awake.

"As if. I just wanted to say that I'm a light sleeper, so I'll _know_ if you decide to be stupid and rape me, or that girl downstairs."

It was Duncan's turn to glare at her. "Whoa, hey. I may be a criminal, but I don't rape."

She raised a thin eyebrow. "So in other words, you've never raped before and never will, correct?"

"Only if you want me to," Duncan teased, leaning closer to her flushed face

Courtney instinctively grabbed his pillow and thrusted it into his face. "_Goodnight, _Duncan."

**xX0Xx**

**A/N: *sheepishly smiles* ahahah… please don't kill me .**

**I know I've been slacking off completely. But since school will start next week, I thought that I should update, since I probably won't have any time since school and soccer practices will be starting up soon. And hopefully I'll be able to update YGM! too. Hoorah!**

**And so, TDWT has ended. Not really much spoiler here, only to say that the ending SUCKED -_- no DxC nor DxG, but Gwen was seen next to Trent for pretty much the entire episode, and that was good enough lol :D**

**Anyways, so what did you guys think? Opinions? Anyone know what Room 739 translates to? xD once you figure it out, I swear, there's gonna be NONE of it in the next chapter. Really. I can't write scenes like that for my life lol. C u! ~Raf**


	4. A Bright Sunny Day in Ca' Savio

**xX0Xx**

A blearing streak of light faintly peered through one of the folds of the purple-grey curtains, shining directly on Courtney's peaceful face. It didn't bother her at first, until a few minutes passed and it suddenly seemed that she was staring right at the sun.

Feeling like the Ca' Savio sunshine was trying to burn off her eyelids on purpose, the lawyer groggily reached to rub her eyes and groaned.

_Ugh… shouldn't the sun be in the sky and _not _right outside the window? _Courtney thought bitterly as she yawned, shielding her eyes with a hand.

Forcing herself to get up as she always did in the morning, she stood up and stretched, reaching down to her toes (minding her bandaged thigh, of course). _1…2…3…4…5…_

Courtney crossed an arm over her chest and frustratingly pulled at it with the other. _Why am I so tense?... _

The memories of the day before recollected suddenly, and the sight of a particular ex-con's smirk flashed through her mind made her frown. She angrily stretched, ignoring the twinge of pain pulsing through her muscle. _Oh yeah. Him._

She only faintly heard the bathroom door being pushed open since bits of replaying memories occupied her mind, barely even noticing Duncan's voice.

"So, are you trying to rip off your arm here or something?" He asked casually, leaning against the doorframe of the small bathroom.

Courtney winced a little as the pain was finally getting to her. She switched arms, crossing the other and pulling at it. "I'm stretching, you idiot."

"Psh, well…" Duncan turned off the bathroom light and grabbed his straw hat, striding towards the door.

It was when he turned the knob that Courtney finally put full attention on him. "Where are you going?" She swiftly asked.

"Aren't you hungry?" Duncan stared at her incredulously. "It's 5:00 here for Christ's sake."

As if on cue, a loud growl came from Courtney's stomach. She clutched her stomach, feeling the emptiness inside settle uncomfortably. "_What? _We've been sleeping for more than _half the day?_"

"_You've _been sleeping for half the day, Princess." Duncan tapped his hat, "_I've_ been checking out what's useful around here. Turns out there's a food market around the corner from here." He grinned knowingly at the mocha-colored girl.

"But… you don't have anymore Eur-…" Courtney began defensively, but slowly realized what Duncan was trying to say. She widened her eyes in disbelief. "-os… Oh, _hell_ _NO, _Duncan."

"What?" Said person shrugged innocently.

"We are _not _stealing from an Italian food market!" Courtney stated, giving the man a what-the-hell-is-you're-problem stare.

"The sun sets in an hour." Duncan simply said, as if oblivious that Courtney even said anything. He reached for the door knob once again. "We've got an hour to do this right. Just follow my lead, sweetheart."

Courtney laughed coldly and shook her head, backing away. "I have a _reputation_, Duncan. Something that doesn't exist in your vocabulary. I am not a criminal like you, even if I'm starving or not!" She crossed her arms and held her head high, wanting to keep what was her dignity.

Duncan was already halfway out the door in mid-rant, but turned back to narrow his eyes seriously at the stubborn young woman in front of him. "Look. You can't get to Mr. Pretty Boy with an empty stomach. I swear, if we just get through today (alive, cough cough), you'll be with him in no time."

It wasn't much reasoning on Duncan's part, but the thought of Justin were all against the reasons why she shouldn't go.

Courtney bit her lip in consideration. Plus… perhaps a tiny missing apple wouldn't be so noticeable. And the thought of her doing something so bad for once in her life, made her feel so… _bad. _And she liked it.

"Let's do it," Courtney grinned, caving in maybe a little too enthusiastically.

Duncan grinned happily as he watched her immediately slip on her stilettos, enjoying the glimpse of another side of her. _Well, this isn't so bad…_

_

* * *

_

Courtney's stomach growled for the umpteenth time as she and Duncan strolled casually through the Ca' Savio food market. She clamped a hand over her stomach as the supposedly _ex_-criminal rolled his eyes at the sound.

They've been at it for about 45 minutes, without anyone noticing a single thing. Duncan had managed to swipe a couple of fruits & bread from the green shelves that lined the buildings through the lively alley, professionally stuffing them in the pockets of his cargo shorts in a way that no one could even suspect he was hiding something.

Courtney, on the other hand, felt the pulsing urge to steal a couple of peaches from a nearby stand run by an elderly man, but her hands kept themselves still & hesitant.

"Just pick up a goddamn fruit and eat it," Duncan said lowly out of the corner of his mouth as he grinned at a couple of giggly black-haired teen girls.

It was Courtney's turn to roll her eyes, but she spotted yet again another fruit stand filled with everything her stomach craved for. Apples, this time.

She groaned, "I want to. So freakin' badly."

Duncan tsked in response. "I showed you about 13 times how to do it. It's simple! Wait until they're not looking, and just go for the kill!"

Courtney looked from him to the shelves, filled to the brim of fresh shiny smiling apples. She felt her heart throb in her throat and her palms get a bit sweaty with anxiety. _What if I get caught… That'll be the end of me…_

A strong arm held her around the waist, slightly urging her forward towards the apple stand she was only a few feet away from. Courtney felt her body freeze, but imagined Duncan's convincing teal eyes close to her face, peering coolly at her from under the rim of his hat.

"If something happens- _anything -_just call my name. I swear I'll get you, babe." He whispered calmly in her ear. "Promise."

Once she felt his supporting arm slip away from her waist and his presence fade, she had no choice but to move on her own will.

Courtney smiled sheepishly at a man who looked to be in his mid 60's, standing behind the crates of red fruit. He grinned back and wordlessly gestured proudly to the apples before him. "Hello, miss!"

"Hi…" She breathed, quickly glancing at Duncan out of the corner of her eye. He was standing at few shelves away from her, nodding slowly.

She turned her attention back to the fruit, shining from the setting sun, _begging _her to take one.

A little boy, about age 4, suddenly snatched an apple from Courtney's view. "Look Mama, I found the apples!"

As soon as the man averted his attention to the boy and his mother, Courtney took one big one off the side corner of the shelf, almost unseen. _Almost._

The puny boy tugged at his mother's dress, pointing a little finger at the relieved caramel-skinned lawyer walking towards a smirking Duncan as she nibbled into her prize. "Aw Ma, how come _she _doesn't get to pay?"

Courtney's blood froze, hearing the noisy chatter around her start to quiet down. Duncan's smirk instantly dropped as everyone's eyes found their way to Courtney, and the apple man's nostrils flared in pure anger.

"_Miss…" _The man growled lowly, slowly walking around his stand to a motionless Courtney.

Before she could even breathe, she found herself being flown through crowds of people, all shouting surprised remarks in Italian.

Everything was a blur, and Courtney never thought she ever ran that fast in her life. Duncan was in front of her, his calloused hand being the one grasping her as they both sprinted towards the sunset, but even farther from the hills where they had come from the day before.

"_Security!" _She heard the man shout furiously at a distance far behind. "_Sicurezza! Qualcuno fermi quei ladri!_"

There were gasps among the Italian crowd, and Courtney yelped a bit as Duncan suddenly turned a corner through a small alleyway. Before she even knew it, her stilettos were suddenly gone, and her bare feet met grass.

It wasn't long until they were a good few miles away from the town of Ca'Savio, and something had erupted inside her. Some sort of bubble that just burst, and it wasn't anger. Courtney didn't even realize that no matter how breathless she was, she was laughing hysterically, throwing her head back and covering her mouth with her free hand.

Duncan, still fit and running as fast as he began with, turned his head a little to see what the hell was happening. It was the first time he'd ever seen her laugh so far, and he quickly took note of how suddenly beautiful she looked with the wind blowing through her hair…

"You're _insane_, you know that?" He exclaimed, giving her a perplexed smile and laughing out loud as well.

Courtney's laughter just intensified even more as the pair continued to simply run to the ending Ca' Savio sunset.

* * *

Dark clouds had started to form in the clear night sky, and neither Duncan nor Courtney realized that they've been running for about 25 minutes into seemingly endless broad fields of grass. Night had fallen too soon, and even though Duncan's grip on the young lawyer and his speed never faltered, he didn't really know where he was heading anymore with the sun set.

"Dunc… Duncan…" Courtney panted, slowing down a bit. "I think they… gave up half an hour ago..." She breathed.

Duncan, who felt as if losing a lot of oxygen as well, started to sort of float about. "Yeah… yeah, you're right." He swallowed.

They walked in silence, both wondering what they should do now. They couldn't just head back to the Cá di Valle hotel; they didn't even really leave anything there, and going back was obviously not an option, considering what had just happened.

After minutes of silence, Courtney sighed. "Where are we going now? Where's Venice?"

"It was always where the sun set," Duncan shrugged, scratching the back of his head. "And, uh, now that the sun's gone, we gotta wait 'til morning to move again."

A brief, low roll of thunder drifted in waves above them, making them both slow to a stop and look up for a second.

"Well, that doesn't sound good," Courtney reported as she inspected the greyest clouds hovering over too close to her liking. "And um… you can let go of me now." She stated awkwardly, finally catching her breath.

The delinquent stared at her for a moment, until he finally felt Courtney's thin wrist under his grasp. _God, dude. _He mentally kicked himself. He quickly looked away, off into the dark distance, as he dropped her arm in embarrassment. "Pshaw… if it wasn't for me, you would be in the jailhouse right about now."

Courtney snorted, feeling her guards going up for the first time in a while. "Maybe if I _did _stay, they'd let me call Justin to come get me."

"You're probably right; who'd wanna keep _you?_" Duncan retorted, crossing his arms.

Before the mocha-colored girl could open her mouth, the lightest drizzle of rain fell onto them.

"Uh oh." Duncan let his eyes roam a bit anxiously along the darkening clouds, clenching and unclenching his fists nervously.

"It's just drizzle…" Courtney said, rolling her eyes at how vulnerable and unsure she sounded.

Duncan took his straw hat off and plopped it on Courtney's hair while his hand found its way back on her wrist. "Dammit… we gotta get moving. Now."

Courtney looked at the greyest sky through narrowed eyes as they began to move forward aimlessly again. "Maybe it'll pass…"

That's when the lightest rain got about 25 times harder.

* * *

"_This is__** all your fault**__!" _Courtney screamed through the sound of millions of huge raindrops pouring onto them.

Duncan was surprised he could actually still hear her ranting, even if these hurricane-similar winds they were walking through seemed to carry out every single noise to somewhere else miles away.

He ignored her as the rain began to seriously pelt them that it hurt, and slid his hand from her wrist down to her hand and entwined their fingers together.

They kept walking, although it felt like they were going absolutely nowhere. To make it even worse, the harder the rain fell, the more furious Courtney got.

"_We're __**LOST**__. In the middle of freakin' __**NOWHERE**__!" _She ranted on_._

"_You're not making anything better with your tirade, __**Princess**__." _Duncan yelled back, trying to find some sort of light in the darkness surrounding them.

They really could barely see. Rain was everywhere, and although they could still feel the soaking grass beneath their feet, they couldn't see it. Everything was just black and grays.

"_And you wanna know __**WHY **__we're aimlessly wandering in the middle of __**nowhere, **__Duncan?_" Courtney practically shrieked through the howling wind. She wrenched herself from Duncan in anger to distance herself.

Said man gladly obliged, practically throwing her wrist back at her. "_I already know what your answer is, _sweetheart_; just __**shut up!**_" He screamed right back. He didn't know exactly where she was now; he just screamed.

"_Because," _Courtney haughtily continued, shouting in the highest octave. "_It's all. Because.__** Of YO**__-!__**"**_

…

… Dead silence.

He figured Courtney was simply taking an annoyingly dramatic pause, but as he waited a good 10 seconds as an echoing pang of thunder rattled the ground beneath his Converse soles, he felt that something was wrong.

"_Princess…?"_ Duncan whipped his head side to side, his once spike-straight Mohawk now completely soaked and flopping off with him. He knew looking around wasn't doing any good, but there were those few flashes of lightning that were like glimpses of a sunny day, lighting up the entire wherever-the-hell-they-were. But still, Courtney was nowhere to be found.

When a whole minute ticked by with only the sound of rain, Duncan felt panic rush in. "_**Courtney!**_" He tried calling over the variety of loud sounds around him, none of them being the missing girl's voice. "_**Princess! **__Answer me!"_

_Shit, Duncan, _He shakily ran a hand through what felt like his neon green lump of hair. _If you lost her… if she's… if she's __**dead**__…_

Duncan shook his head violently and ran around, flailing his arms into the space around him. He refused to feel helpless, but millions of questions seemed to swarm his head by the second. Was he running towards wherever she was? Or was he just losing time?

Duncan growled and furiously wiped at his dripping face with his palms, not knowing if it was rain or sweat, anything but tears. He picked up speed. "_**COURTNEY! **__Goddamn it, COURT-"_

The front of his Converse jammed into something solid, sending his body into the air and forward. He let out a string of curses as his body eventually connected back to the cold wet grass and slid through the sopping mud.

"_What the hell…" _Duncan felt the soaking ground around him, trying to find whatever had possibly tripped him. _Could it be Courtney…?_

A flash of white hot lightning shot through the black sky causing his hair to stand up. At that millisecond, he spotted near what looked like a bear-sized rock lying just a few feet away from him a small lump.

It could've just been his imagination, or simply a pile of rocks. But it was anything but a little insignificant lump on ground, because in that blink of illumination, Duncan saw something that oddly resembled the peaceful curves he observed among the Ca' Savio moonlight just the night before.

It was Courtney. Motionless.

* * *

"Geoff, the storm is seriously getting worse," A petite young woman with pale blonde hair reported as her hazel-green eyes calmly searched through the pouring rain outside the window. Thinking how it must've been hell out there, she felt a small shudder crawl up her spine, even though the fireplace of the cozy wooden cabin was lit and crackling softly.

Her husband, with matching colored hair topped with a cowboy hat strode in from the kitchen and plopped himself down on the brown couch with his feet up and blue eyes closed. He relaxed into the cushions as he smiled at his wife. "S'alright, Bridge. The weather dude said it'll be gone by 8. Let's just relax 'til then, or you'll get the baby all excited."

Bridgette turned away from the window and smiled genuinely, keeping a hand on her happily swelling stomach. She went over to the couch as Geoff removed his feet from the armrest to make room for his wife.

Once she sat down, the blonde man wound his arms around her waist and slowly relaxed her against his chest. "Ahah, this is more like it," Geoff comfortably rested his chin on her head.

Bridgette sighed contently, "Times like these make me feel so glad this little bundle of joy here let me take a break from the hospital." She patted her stomach gently, feeling the tiniest kick in response.

Geoff placed a hand on top of his wife's hand. "I can't wait 'til Evan's out and all grown up," he looked up, imagining his soon-to-be son. "You'll teach him how to surf and cook pasta, I'll teach him how to work the farm and how he could control his natural ability to party…"

The blonde just laughed goodheartedly. "I just can't wait until wittle Evan here comes and all this extra stomach fat is long gone." She poked herself all around her enlarged tummy self-consciously.

Geoff chuckled, kissing her hair. "I have no idea what the guys in town were telling me when they said stretch marks were a pain." He lifted her chin to look up at him as he grinned lopsidedly. "You'll always be beautiful to me."

"Oh, Geoff," Bridgette gushed. She smacked his arm lightly, blushing and looking away from her ridiculously corny husband.

Nevertheless, she lifted herself a bit from his chest to close the distance between their lips, when their front door suddenly swung open with a _bang!_

The blonde newlyweds jumped from their moment on the couch in surprise; Bridget's shaky hands clutched her stomach protectively. Their eyes met with jumpy teal ones as a man, whose clothes and Converse were completely drenched in rain and pouring with mud, carried a seemingly unconscious brunette whose conditions remained similar. Other than the puffy bump just above her freckles (or possibly more dirt), and startling large gash on her swollen ankle that looked fresh.

"_Please_," the teal-eyed man pleaded in a hoarse voice, "And really, this is the first time I've ever said it. _**Please.**__ Help her._"

**xX0Xx**

**A/N: Aw, HELL guys D: Now that the absurdly long hiatus is fading off, I'm BACK, baby! Whoo!**

**Anyways, just wanted to apologize. Too many things just popped up suddenly in life (I can't really go into detail…) So please forgive me for the delay. But hey, I was gonna finish this 9-page Word document NEXT WEEK, but yesterday, I got all fired up once again because I reread my intentions for the future of this story, and BAM! :D **

**Happy New Year, by the way y'all! It's pretty late now, so I shall go for now. But I just have to say: writing this was really refreshing :) Especially the mini Bridgette/Geoff thing going on. I just wanted to sorta introduce them and add a little background before **_**y'know who **_**barged in. Aheheh.**

**Anyhoo, REVIEW PLEASE! ~Raf**


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